Chapter 42: New Recruits

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The warship sailed away from the Sabaody Archipelago, heading toward the Marine-exclusive route through the Red Line. 

The matter of Arashi recruiting five pirates didn't draw much attention. 

After all, it was an old tradition for Marine officers to take pirates under their command, as long as it wasn't too high-profile. 

The bounties on the five were quietly removed the next day after Arashi spoke with Sengoku.

As the sun rose, the warship deck echoed with coordinated shouts. 

Six individuals in Marine trainee uniforms were busy scrubbing and cleaning the deck. Lieutenant T Bone watched over them sternly as they worked. 

Arashi stretched lazily, observing the scene before him with a slight smile and feeling sentimental. 

He now had his warship and his soldiers, and his journey as a Marine finally began on the right foot.

"My name is Rosinante. Nice to meet you all!" Rosinante, holding a mop, greeted the recruits with a grin. 

Having previously had only one person handle the chores, he was clearly in a good mood now that he had five others to share the workload.

"Ivans, sniper, 22 years old. I hope for world peace." 

"Yagyu Hyobu, swordsman, 21 years old. I want to protect justice with my sword." 

"Mina, navigator." 

"Kira, cook and gourmet. My dream is to taste all the world's delicacies." 

"Slo, shipwright! I want to see the legendary ship spirit."

Under Ivans ' lead, the five exchanged glances and reluctantly introduced themselves.

"From now on, we're comrades!" Rosinante said with a wide smile. Hearing this, the five pirates visibly relaxed and nodded in agreement. 

The word "comrade" seemed to put them at ease.

"My name is T Bone, but you can call me T-Bone. I'm a Lieutenant." 

T Bone said as he approached, his zombie-like face looking a bit scary, but his tone was warm and polite.

"Greetings, sir," the five replied in unison, momentarily taken aback.

"Rear Admiral Arashi is our commanding officer and the highest-ranking officer in our unit," T Bone continued. 

"No need to be formal. The commander is very kind and compassionate."

T Bone's zombie face broke into a smile. Arashi overheard the conversation but didn't mind. 

Friendly interactions help him lead the crew more effectively. 

Besides, T Bone described him from his perspective, showering him with praise and admiration.

"The commander once defied the nobility..." 

"And later, he stood up to the Celestial Dragons..." 

"After joining the Marines, he..." 

"Fought the Roger Pirates and held his ground against the world-renowned Dark King Rayleigh." 

"Roger himself even remarked that the commander was a formidable opponent, giving him high praise."

T Bone's words left Ivans and the others in shock. They occasionally stole glances at the figure standing at the ship's bow. 

They hadn't expected this young Marine officer to have such an extraordinary story—one not so different from their own.

The warship soon crossed the Red Line, entering the second half of the Grand Line. 

During this time, Arashi gradually learned more about the five from their conversations.

First was Ivans, a sniper who had just begun awakening his Observation Haki, allowing him to foresee danger and snipe distant targets precisely. 

Then there was Yagyu Hyobu, who had been practising swordsmanship since childhood and had reached the level of cutting through iron, possessing impressive physical strength. 

So, despite being shipwrights, they also had decent combat skills. Mina wasn't strong, but she had extensive navigation experience. 

As for Kira, as he mentioned, he was a gourmet who could perfectly cater to everyone's tastes, though he wasn't particularly skilled in combat.

With these five aboard, the ship had become livelier.

"Training is essential, and you will lead these trainees," Arashi commanded authoritatively. 

"Of course, I'll also provide guidance to address your weaknesses."

"Yes, sir!" the seven of them replied in unison, standing tall and responding loudly. 

In just a few days, Ivans and the others, once pirates, were already beginning to display the spirit of Marines.

During their joint training sessions, Ivans and the others were shocked to discover that the tall Rosinante was only twelve years old!

"How is that possible? You're barely a teenager, yet you're so tall!" Yagyu Hyobu and Mina exclaimed in disbelief.

"What on earth have you been eating?" they added.

"It's all natural talent!" Rosinante laughed, his expression full of pride. 

Despite his large physique, he had an innocence and a touch of childishness typical of someone his age.

Just then, Arashi walked over, his iron fist ready to strike.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!

A series of punches landed, leaving everyone with swollen bumps on their foreheads.

"No shouting during training," Arashi scolded.

Ivans clutched his head, tears welling up in his eyes. 

"How can his punches hurt so much? They're harder than my sword!" he grumbled.

Yagyu Hyobu winced in pain as well.

"Commander Arashi is Vice Admiral Garp's disciple. His strength comes from his master," Rosinante said, gritting his teeth and trying to endure the pain.

Training continued, and none of them could escape the rigorous physical conditioning expected of Marine trainees. 

Arashi's guidance and training methods were scientific and effective. They blended Garp and Zephyr's proven techniques with the Marine Academy's structured approach.

T Bone joined in seriously, unable to hide his admiration for Arashi. 

As the warship moved through the second half of the Grand Line, they spent most of their time at sea, only occasionally docking at fortresses for supplies. 

Meanwhile, Arashi maintained contact with Marine Headquarters, and upon receiving information about pirate activity, they would engage in suppression missions. 

Everyone's strength steadily grew through these battles.

Half a month into the second half of the Grand Line, a newspaper fell from the claws of a news bird, landing in front of the crew.

"Gol D. Roger has reached the end of the Grand Line, becoming the Pirate King, and has named the final island Raftel!" Ivans read aloud. 

Everyone on the ship was stunned.

"Roger became the Pirate King!" Slo exclaimed in shock.

Arashi narrowed his eyes, recalling a recent conversation with Garp. His teacher had mentioned something about this. 

The entire world was shaken at that moment as newspapers spread the news far and wide. Just then, Arashi's Den Den Mushi rang.

"Master Garp," Arashi said as he answered the call, his tone serious.

"You've probably already seen the latest news, right?" Garp's voice came through, sounding heavy and tired.

"Yes, I've seen it," Arashi nodded.

"I chased him for two years, yet I still couldn't stop him." 

"I must admit, that guy is something, even while suffering from a severe illness," Garp said with a somewhat helpless laugh.

"I thought that Roger would do something unimaginable after becoming the Pirate King," Garp continued. 

"But to my surprise, Roger disbanded his crew. Now, no one can find him."

Arashi chuckled at Garp's words. "Then you can take a break for a while."

"Hahaha! You brat, do you think your teacher is someone who wants to rest?" Garp laughed and scolded.

The two chatted for a while longer, with Arashi mostly listening as Garp reminisced about his years of battles and pursuits against Roger, from the God Valley incident to Roger's becoming the Pirate King.

When the call ended, Arashi fell into silence. He realized that while Garp shared his stories about Roger, he also reflected on his life. 

Arashi could sense the confusion and a hint of regret in his teacher's voice, as if Garp was lamenting something.

What could he be regretting?

<End Chapter>

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